Become a Capital Markets & Securities Analyst (CMSA)®
Join 850,000+ students who work for companies like Amazon, J.P. Morgan, and Ferrari
- Boost your knowledge and skills
- Study online at your own pace
- Get certified in just a few months
24 courses, 50+ hours of video training, and Excel & document templates
100% online, at your own pace, on your own schedule, with two years of access
Earn in-demand skills from instructors with 22+ years of experience training
Our mission is to make the world's best capital markets training accessible to everyone
The Capital Markets & Securities Analyst (CMSA)® program will teach you the many asset classes, trading strategies, and procedures used in the capital markets. It is ideal for any student who wants to work in capital markets, whether on the buy-side or the sell-side. This program will give you the experience to make investment decisions and utilize appropriate trading strategies for different scenarios.
The CMSA® includes 20 courses. The recommended CMSA® program study time is 60-100 hours and the average completion time is 6 months.
Common Career Paths
The CMSA® Program is designed to teach you all the skills you need to excel on the job as a capital markets & securities analyst. Learn the skills used by buy-side and sell-side analysts at top global financial institutions.
By the end of the program, you will understand the various securities within each asset class, have much greater familiarity with Bloomberg, and be able to incorporate relevant trading strategies into your investment decisions.
| Course | Course Code | Study Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Capital Markets | CMSA 101 | 2 |
| Math Fundamentals for Capital Markets | CMSA 102 | 1-2 |
| Economics for Capital Markets | CMSA 103 | 3-4 |
| Bloomberg Essentials | CMSA 104 | 1-2 |
| Eikon Essentials | CMSA 105 | 1 |
| Foreign Exchange Essentials | CMSA 106 | 2 |
| Course | Course Code | Study Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Equity Markets | CMSA 201 | 5-6 |
| Fixed Income Fundamentals | CMSA 202 | 3-4 |
| Introduction to Foreign Exchange | CMSA 203 | 4-5 |
| Introduction to Commodities | CMSA 204 | 3-4 |
| Introduction to Derivatives | CMSA 206 | 2-3 |
| Professional Ethics | CFI 265 | 2-4 |
| Course | Course Code | Study Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Trading Using Technical Analysis | CMSA 205 | 4-6 |
| Intermediate Options – Trading Strategies | CMSA 211 | 4-6 |
| Intermediate Swaps | CMSA 212 | 4-6 |
| Intermediate Futures & Forwards | CMSA 213 | 4-6 |
| Intermediate Fixed Income | CMSA 214 | 6-8 |
| High-Yield Bonds, Subordinated Debt, and Loans | CMSA 221 | 4-5 |
| Convertible Bonds | CMSA 222 | 4-6 |
| Short Duration Products | CMSA 223 | 4-6 |
| Introduction to Hedge Funds | CMSA 224 | 3-5 |
| Credit Fixed Income | CMSA 227 | 3-4 |
| Behavioral Finance | CMSA 230 | 3-4 |
| Advanced Fixed Income | CMSA 231 | 3 |
The GCFS board regularly reviews the CMSA® program to ensure relevancy and industry standards are being met. By regularly examining the capital markets & securities analyst certification curriculum, the GCFS board is able to ensure CFI courses include the latest possible trends.
